Pipe organ



1938- c. s. NORBURN ET AL 7 2,105,793

PIPE ORGAN Filed June 29, 1936 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Jan. 18, 1938. c. s.NORBURN ET AL I 2,105,793

PIPE ORGA N Filed June 29, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 18, 1938PATENT OFFICE PIPE ORGAN Charles S. Norburn, Asheville, and George M.Quave, West Asheville, N. 0.

Application June 29, 1936, Serial No. 88,006

17 Claims.

This invention relates to pipe organs and more particularly to organswitches or couplers.

It has been the common practice tolocate the organ switch or couplermechanism at some distance from the keys, and to operate thekeycontrolled contacts of the coupler through some form ofelectromagnetic action or a mechanical linkage. These key-controlledcontacts have, in the customary forms of coupler switches, engaged 1?)with that selected set of coupler contacts which was flexed out ofnormal position and into the path of movement of the key-controlledcontacts.

An object of the present invention is to provide .15 simple and compactorgan switches that may be positioned at, and preferably either above orbelow the rear ends of, the organ keys. An object is to provide an organswitch or coupler in which the key-controlled portions of the couplerswitches are carried by the keys. A further object is to provide anorgan switch including pin contacts that are. mounted on slides, thecontacts being connected into appropriate control circuits by highlyflexible leads and being bodily displaceable into and out of the rangeof movement of the keycontrolled contacts. More particularly, an objectis to provide an organ in which the coupler slides are located below therear ends of the keys and carry contact pins that extend into spacesbetween adjacent keys for engagement with contact plates mounted uponthe keys.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following specification when taken with the accompany.- ingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of an embodiment of the invention inwhich the slides of the organ switch are located below the rear ends ofthe keys;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the manual and the organ switch;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, thecircuit for actuating a coupler slide being shown diagrammatically;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a coupler slide;

Fig. 5 is a section through a key provided with a modified form ofcontact plate; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section showing a modification in which theswitch is located above the keys.

In the drawings, the reference numerals I identify the keys of onemanual of the organ, the rear ends of the keys resting on felt washers 2and being pivotally connected to the rear key rail 3 by hooks 4 whilethe front ends of the keys are guided by pins 5 mounted on the other keyrail 6. Felt cushioning washers 2' may be placed about the guide pins 5.The described construction constitutes a known mounting for the keys butother mountings may be used as the exact construction is not a featureof this invention. i

Adjacent the rear ends of the several keys, and preferably in verticalalinement with them, is a support or base board l upon which a pluralityof coupler slides 8 are mounted. The slides are pref erably woodenstrips of inverted T-shape which may be notched along their lowersurfaces, as indicated at 3 to leave relatively small areas for sliolinengagement with the board 1. The slides are mounted in guideways cut inthe upper surface of the board "I and are held in place by strips 9which are fastened to the board by screws l0.

Soft iron armatures I are fastened to the ends of the slides, andelectromagnets l2, l2 are mounted upon the board if to move the slides.As shown in Fig. 3, the leads it connect the low terminals of bothelectromagnets to a current source i l, and the positive terminal of thecurrent supply is connected to the movable contact 15 of the switchcontrolled by the coupler tablet I6. The on and off contacts ll, ll ofthe switch are connected to the other terminals of the electromagnetsi2, 52', respectively, by leads l8, I8. As illustrated, the tablet it isin raised position, thus energizing electromagnet I2 and the slide isdrawn to the left to render its associated switches inoperative.

Each slide has a contact IQ for each key of the manual, the contactsbeing small spring steel wire forced. into minute holes in the slide andsecured in place by small headless nails 2i that are driven into theslide beside the contacts. The contacts extend vertically upward throughthe spaces formed by notching out one side of each key, as indicated atlo, and the upper ends 19a of the contacts are each bent away from thecontact plate 21 of the associated key to provide a good wiping contactengagement. The interkey spaces are of such width as to permit movementof the slides 8 by about to to bring. the contacts l9 alternatively intoor out of the path of movement of the contact plates 2i of the keys.

It will be noted that the slides 8 displace the contacts l9 laterally,thus avoiding the bending which has been the usual characteristic ofprior organ switches. A firing contact 22 for each contact plate 2| issupported by a rail 23 that is fixed to the support 1 by means such asthe screws 24. The fixed or firing contacts are connected to each otherand to a terminal of the current source (indicated by the symbol in Fig.l) by a lead 25, and the contacts I!) of the coupler slides areselectively connected to the electromagnets, not shown, of theassociated pipes. The positive terminal leads 26 of the electromagnetsof the several pipes are connected to terminals 21 that are mounted onthe supporting board I, and the connections from the fixed terminals 2l'to the coupler slide contacts I9 are made with Litzendraht (Litz) wire,i. e. a multistrand insulated wire or cable of extremely highflexibility. The connections to only one fixed terminal are shown inFig. 1; this terminal being assumed to be the terminal for the C-pipe ofthe second octave of keys. When the upper slide 8, Fig. 1, is the unisonor 8-ioot slide, the Lita wire leads 28 from the terminals 21 extend tothe con tacts l9 adjacent the key for the corresponding pipe. When theupper slide is drawn, as is illustrated in Fig. l, the contact plates 20of the several keys connect the firing contacts 22 with the contacts I 9and the circuits for sounding the pipes corresponding to the depressedkeys are thus closed. Assuming the second slide 8 to be the 4-iootcoupler slide, the Litz wire leads 28h are so connected between theterminals 21 and the contacts it of the second slide that the pressingdown of any key sounds the pipe one octave higher. Starting with thatcontact H! of this slide which is adjacent the lowest key, the Litz wirelead 2% extends to the terminal 210 of the C-pipe of the next higheroctave. In similar manner, the contacts 19 of the third or 16-footcoupler are connected by Litz wire leads 281 to the terminals 2'1corresponding to the pipes one octave lower than the keys adjacent theseveral contacts 19.

The i-foot and 16-foot coupler slides are illustrated in Fig. 1 ashaving a contact I9 for each key of the manual. As these contactscontrol the sounding of pipes one octave above and one octave below thekey which is pressed, it will be apparent that the contacts for thehighest octave of the 4-foot coupler and for the lowest octave of the16-foot coupler may be omitted unless, as is often the case, an extraoctave of pipes is provided above and/ or below the normal range of thekeys of the manual.

As shown in Fig. 4, the wire 28 to theend contact i9 is extended alongthe slide, looped through and tied in a hole 29 adjacent the contact,and its end scraped and wrapped about both the contact 19 and pin 20 towhich it is secured by solder 30. The tie of each wire for a succeedingcontact is looped around the wires already in place, and the severalwires are thus formed into a self-supporting cable that is securely heldto the slide bar. The bars move only a short distance and the Litz wireis so flexible that it ofiers but little resistance to the slidingmovement. The surfaces of the slide which engage the guideway on theboard 7 may be lubricated by the usual methods, preferably withgraphite, to reduce the frictional resistance to movement.

The location of the contact plates on the keys may be varied to someextent and the modified construction, as shown in Fig. 5, in which avertically arranged plate 2i is mounted flush with the side of the key Ihas the advantage that it is not necessary to notch the keys to providespace for the contacts 19 of the coupler bars. In some cases where spaceis available above the rear ends of the keys, it may be convenient touse the inverted arrangement, Fig. 6, with slides 8, keys I and theircontacts constructed substantially as described, but with the slidesmovable in overhead guideways provided by a grooved supporting board 1'and rails 9'.

The construction of an electropneumatic organ is materially simplifiedby the invention since the usual electrical and/or mechanicalconnections between the keys and the organ switch are eliminated. It isto be understood that the invention is not limited to the particularembodiments herein illustrated and described, as many changes may bemade in the parts, and in their relative size, shape and locationwithout departing from the spirit of our invention as set forth in thefollowing claims.

We claim:

1. In an organ, the combination with the keys of a manual, of an organswitch including slides adjacent said keys and each carrying contactscorresponding to the several keys, and contact plates mounted on saidkeys for cooperation with said slide-carried contacts to form an organswitch.

2. In an organ, the combination with the keys of a manual, andcontact-making means individual to and actuated by the several keys, ofa plurality of elongated slide bars each carrying contacts forengagement by the contact-making means of said keys, guide meansmounting said slide bars in the space vertically alined with said keys,means manually controlled to move said slide bars individually to bringthe contacts thereof into or out of the paths of movement of thecontact-making means of the keys, and circuits for controlling theplaying of the pipes, said circuits including flexible leads connectingthe contacts of said slide bars to stationary terminals.

3. An organ as claimed in claim 2, wherein said circuits include aseries of firing contacts mounted in fixed positions to engage thecontact-making means of the respective keys.

4. In an organ, the combination of a plurality of keys, a plurality ofsets of contacts corresponding to the respective keys, a coupler slidefor each set of contacts, means supporting said slides adjacent saidkeys for movement to bring the associated set of contacts into and outof operative positions, and a contact plate secured to each key forengagement with the corresponding contact of the selected set which isbrought into operative position by its slide,

5. An organ as claimed in claim 4, wherein a side edge of each key isnotched to provide a space between adjacent keys, and the said contactsextend into the spaces between the keys, the contact plates beinghorizontally arranged on said keys to project into said spaces.

6. An organ as claimed in claim 4, wherein a side edge of each key isnotched to provide a. space between adjacent keys, and the said contactsextend upwardly through the spaces between the keys to project above thesame, the contact plates being horizontally arranged on said keys toproject into said spaces.

7. An organ as claimed in claim 4, wherein a side edge of each key isnotched to provide a. space between adjacent keys, and the said contactsextend downwardly into the spaces between the keys, the contact platesbeing horizontally arranged on said keys to project into said spaces.

8. An organ as claimed in claim 4, wherein said contact plates arevertically arranged and extend below the keys.

9. In an organ, an organ switch including a manually-controlled meansfor plurality of slide bars carrying contacts, and means actuated by thekeys for engaging said contacts; each slide bar comprising a T-shapedmember, the contacts being pins secured in and extending vertically fromthe base of the leg of the T-shaped member, the leg of the T-shapedmember having a hole therethrough adjacent each contact, and flexibleleads extending along said member with an end of each tied to the memberat a hole and electrically connected to the adjacent contact.

10. An organ as claimed in claim 9, wherein each lead is looped throughthe hole adjacent the contact to which it is connected, the loop of eachlead passing around all leads which extend beyond that hole in themember.

11. In an organ, the combination with a manual comprising key rails anda plurality of keys carried thereby, of an organ switch comprising asupport below said keys, a plurality of coupler bars and means mountingthe same on said support for movement relative to said keys, contactssecured to each coupler bar, a contact member actuated by each of saidkeys, and moving each coupler bar to carry the contacts thereof into andout of the range of movement of the associated key-actuated contactmember.

12. An organ as claimed in claim 11, wherein said mounting meanscomprises guideways supporting said coupler bars for reciprocatingmovement substantially parallel to the plane of the key rails.

13. An organ as claimed in claim 11, wherein a plurality of stationarypipe circuit terminals are mounted on said support, and flexible leadsof Litz wire extend from said terminals to the contacts of the severalcoupler bars.

14. An organ as claimed in claim 11, wherein said contact memberscomprise plates secured to the respective keys.

15. In an organ, a plurality of keys, a plurality of sets of contactspositioned in a space vertically alined with said keys, each set ofcontacts including one for and adjacent each key, a series of firingcontacts connected to a source of current, means actuated by thedepressing of a key to complete a circuit including a firing contact andthe corresponding key contact of one of said sets, andmanually-controlled means for effecting relative movement of said setsof contacts and said series of firing contacts, thereby to determine theset of contacts to which circuits may be completed by depressing thekeys.

16. An organ as claimed in claim 15, wherein said sets of contacts aremovable relative to each other and to said series of firing contacts,and said manually-controlled means displaces the said sets of contactsselectively into and out of the range of movement of said key-actuatedmeans.

17. An organ as claimed in claim 15, wherein said firing contacts arestationary and said keyactuated means comprises contact plates mountedon the several keys and adapted upon depressing of the keys to engagethe corresponding firing contacts, and said sets of contacts areselectively displaceable into the paths of movement of said contactplates.

CHARLES S. NORBURN. GEORGE M. QUAVE.

